Getting braces is a very exciting time. It’s the start of your journey to a better smile and a healthy bite. Now more than ever, it is very important to stay on top of your oral hygiene care. This is because the brackets and wires of braces make keeping your teeth clean very challenging. The brackets have tiny slots which can be a plaque trap. And the wires make flossing cumbersome.
Even though it requires additional work and time, having an oral hygiene routine is critical in maintaining healthy teeth. It’s easy to develop cavities and puffy gums during braces treatment. And poor oral hygiene during braces is what leads to white spots after braces.
Luckily, there are many tools to help keep your braces and teeth clean. Here are my favorites:
Electric Toothbrush
An electric toothbrush is a great way to remove plaque off your gums, braces and teeth. You simply have to guide the toothbrush along your gumline and teeth for effective plaque removal. It takes the guesswork out of whethere you are brushing too hard or too soft.
Travel Toothbrush
It will be important to brush after your meals to prevent food from building up around your brackets. A small travel toothbrush is a great option to have in your bag when you are on the go.
Floss Threader and Floss
The wire in braces makes flossing challenging. It’s physically in the way blocking you from going in between your teeth. But this doesn’t mean we should skip flossing. A floss threader is a great tool to use. It carries the floss behind the wire so that you can reach your teeth.
Platypus Flosser
If the floss threader feels like too much work for you, there is a single use platypus flosser instead. This is flat enough to reach under the arch wire. It has a built-in floss in it which you then use to get in between your teeth.
Water Flosser
Water flosser is a great tool to use during braces. It flushes off plaque from your teeth and gums. I don’t recommend substituting this for regular flossing. It’s still important to get in between the teeth and under the gums to remove plaque.
Fluoride Mouthwash
Fluoride Mouthwash is a great way to keep the outer surface of your teeth strong and resistant to cavities. It’s also a great way to rinse off plaque from your teeth. It’s best to use this after brushing and flossing.